Down to the Core
by Rampant Id
Summary: Due to an unfortunate incident involving Haku, Chihiro finds herself back in the spirit world trying to save the one person she could no longer imagine living without.
1. The Burning Hairband

This was a Yuletide 2016 gift fic for _hlae. Enjoy._

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Burning Hairband**

 _"Just walk forward toward the bridge and don't look back." Haku said quietly while looking solemnly into Chihiro's eyes. Seeing her hesitation he smiled gently._

 _"Go on, your family is waiting for you on the other side."_

 _Almost as if watching it all play out from a distance, Chihiro could suddenly see herself turn away from Haku and slowly start to make her way to the bridge. The instant that her other self had turned around, Chihiro saw Haku's smile vanish and in its place was a heartbreaking look of loss instead. She could see his fists tightly clench at his sides as if to keep his hands from reaching out after her._

 _Never once did Haku turn away as she left. His eyes stayed on her until she disappeared over the bridge, and even once she was gone he remained that way for a good half hour._

* * *

"Chihiro, wake up! You're snoring."

Chihiro snapped wide awake and sat upright in her chair as she tried to take stock of where she was. A string of names was being called out over a loudspeaker, followed by occasional clapping. Someone still had their hand on her shoulder, and Chihiro stole a glance behind, just to see her roommate and best friend grinning back at her.

"Was it at least a good dream?" She asked Chihiro waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Chihiro rolled her eyes and shook her head. _If only_. These dreams were increasing in frequency with each one denoting feelings of sadness, regret, and loss.

"It's a shame your parents couldn't make it" Amy said, correctly interpreting the look on Chihiro's face as she observed a pair of parents sitting off too the right and proudly snapping pictures of their offspring climbing the steps to the stage.

Turning back to face the front Chihiro waved off her friend's concern. "No, it's all right. They live much too far to fly down here just to see me graduate. Mike said he's filmed the graduation ceremony - I'll just send it to them on dropbox."

"You know, if not for your specialization you could have gone to study anywhere. With the marks you pull off I would assume that most universities would happily take you. Even one closer to home..."

Chihiro sighed. Amy was right, her specialization in Euro-Asian Mythology and Folklore was most developed and respected in the university that she was currently graduating from. Although many people did not believe that any good jobs could be gotten from a such a narrow specialization, Chihiro felt that it was the only thing she actually really wanted to study. Whenever she learned something new about myths and legends it made her feel just a little bit closer to the dear friends that she had left behind so many years ago...

"Do you regret it?"

"What?"

"Choosing to move so far away from your family?"

Chihiro laughed softly and shook her head. "It's funny you should ask, especially since if you had suggested that I move away to an unknown environment far from my family, twelve years ago I would have pitched a fit and refused to budge. But a lot has happened since then. For one, I know what I want. For another, change doesn't scare me anymore."

"Really? Then how come you've never decided to get a real haircut? Amy asked teasingly while flipping Chihiro's ponytail up for fun.

"You've had this ponytail the entire time that I've known you. I've only seen you trim it from time to time."

"That's because I'm actually happy with it just the way it is." Chihiro replied with a sigh as she turned to face her friend once again - pulling her hair out of Amy's reach. _And it serves as a very important reminder_ , she silently added to herself.

* * *

With the graduation ceremony finally over Chihiro decided to head over to the bathroom to quickly freshen up. She had about half an hour before she had to be outside for the grad photos.

Leaning over the sink Chihiro gazed at her reflection intently.

She no longer looked like her ten-year-old self; there were a lot more angles and edges to her face than before. For one thing, her cheekbones were a lot more prominent now. Her eyes had a steady, thoughtful gaze - as if taking many things into consideration and weighing each accordingly. Far from the insecure and demanding child that she had once been. The dilemmas she had faced those twelve years ago, and the choices she had made, had helped shape her into the person she was today. To forget what she had experienced and write it off as nothing more than a figment of her imagination would have destroyed all that. Her ponytail and the hairband she had received back then served as a constant reminder of the qualities that truly made her strong, as well as the sacrifices she had been forced to make in order to secure her current future. Lastly, it was a testament to her ability in always succeeding despite all odds.

To forget all that meant reverting to the person she had been before. And that was not something she would ever want to do.

Chihiro raised her hand to where her ponytail was gathered at the back of her head. She gently ran her fingers over the pink hairband, feeling comforted by it's pulsing warmth. Like a living thing it often gave off it's own heat. Chihiro liked to think that somehow it was connected to those she cared about the most, that the pulsing was actually their heartbeat and that whenever she touched the hairband her friends could feel that her thoughts were with them...

Just as she was about to remove her hand from the pink hair elastic she felt it heating up to the point where it actually burned her fingers.

"Ow!" Chihiro yelped in surprise as she immediately put her fingers under the cold water now running from the faucet. They were sore and had red stripes where they had been in contact with the hairband. _What if my hair catches fire?_ The instant that frightening thought hit her, Chihiro reached back with both hands for the hairband and urgently started to pull it out of her hair. As the heat of the pink band increased so did the difficulty in removing it. Gritting her teeth to avoid crying out, Chihiro managed to wrench the hair elastic half-way down her hair before she happened to glance at the mirror.

She was glowing! So was the hairband, but that was not as shocking as seeing one's own body lit up like a light-bulb! The little elastic band was no longer pink but a bright glowing red. Chihiro herself seemed be glowing from the inside out, almost the way a hot ember would. Her black eyes widened in shock and horror as her arms started glowing brighter and brighter. A splitting headache took over and Chihiro grabbed her aching head instead. Everything was hot, so hot. She was burning up, on fire. _The pain, the pain!_

A shriek filled the bathroom, getting louder with each second. The instant that Chihiro thought she was going to burst into flames like a flaming human torch, everything came to a sudden stop. The screaming stopped, the burning pain had ceased, and she felt herself collapse to the floor like a marionette without strings. Her gasping breath could be clearly heard as well as the sobs that now shook her body. Relief and fear were warring inside her. The pain had stopped and she was still alive - so that was a good sign. However, the fear that she had come close to dying and not knowing if it was over, or what had started it, had shaken her to the core.

Afraid of what she would find if she were to look at her arms, which were currently spasming next to her head, Chihiro lay on the cold, hard ground and kept her eyes squeezed shut.

* * *

There you have it guys, Chapter 1 of 4. Let me know what you think. Reviews feed the Muse and encourage the writer!

\- **Rampant Id**


	2. The Orb of Sight

Chapter 2: **  
The Orb of Sight**

She heard the footsteps come to a sudden stop next to her. Mustering her courage, Chihiro slowly forced herself to open her eyes and gaze down to her still aching hand, which lay curled into a fist next to her face. Although being a little redder than normal it appeared to be relatively fine, despite the intense heat and pain she had been feeling just moments before. Out of the corner of her eye Chihiro could see the edges of a blue dress touching the floor not far from her face. Her eyes slowly traveled up the dress until they got to the enormous face of an old woman who was staring down at her unblinkingly.

"Yubaba?" Chihiro asked hesitantly, not quite sure how or why she had come back to the bathhouse she had left all those years ago.  
"No dear, it's me." The elderly woman smiled down warmly at Chihiro and offered her a hand up.

"Zaniba? Where are we and why am I here?" Chihiro asked, getting carefully to her feet and looking around as she flexed her still slightly aching fingers.

Zaniba shook her head and motioned for Chihiro to follow her to the familiar dining table. Once Chihiro settled into a chair and Zaniba poured the two of them a cup of tea, the silver-haired witch looked at Chihiro over her steepled fingers and began to speak.

"What do you remember of your last time here?"

Chihiro furrowed her brow in confusion and cautiously replied, "My parents turning into pigs, Haku saving me from Yubaba's malicious curse, me serving under Yubaba as Sen in a bid for my parents freedom - as well as my own, and finally freeing my family from the curse and crossing the bridge to be reunited with them. I never forgot anything, it's as clear to me as any of my other memories..."

"Incredible." Zaniba breathed out, her voice filled with wonder. "I never imagined that you would have retained all of your memories of your stay here. Usually humans gloss over memories that feel unreal or do not fit in with the predictable pattern of their daily lives."

Zaniba blinked once and her eyes focused on Chihiro's puzzled face once again, this time with purpose.

"Well no matter. This will certainly make it easier for me to fill you in on the more pertinent changes and events that you have missed. A lot has happened since you were last here. You know that time flows a bit differently here as opposed to the world that you normally live in. In the twelve years that you have been gone a lot of time has passed in our reality - one-hundred-and-fourty-four years to be exact."

Chihiro sucked in a breath as the magnitude of what she was being told hit her.

"But you look the same as when I first left, how is it that you are still alive? No offense," She hastily added glancing apologetically at Zaniba, while still looking thoroughly confused.

Zaniba smiled in assurance and calmly clarified, "Spirits do not normally age the way that humans do - we do not have a need for it. Our time usually tends to be infinite and so we choose the age of our form that is most to our liking. Bo for example really likes being a baby, and he will probably remain that way forever, regardless of the time that passes. However, there are sometimes exceptions to that. This actually happens to tie-in with the reason for the necessity of your return here.

"Your crossing that bridge and leaving our world had an adverse effect on poor Haku. No one had guessed at the time that you and Haku may have bonded a little too strongly for a spirit of his caliber. Spirits, especially those with dragon forms tend to be more vulnerable when forming emotional connections or bonds with other beings. Their loyal and protective nature demands that they ensure the safety of those they feel to be under their protection. You my dear were one of the few, if not only, beings to whom Haku has ever allowed himself to get close enough to impact him. Even before you entered our spirit world, you and Haku had already bonded when both of you were at a very vulnerable and impressionable age.

"Suffice it to say that the instant you left our world Haku withdrew into himself completely. His nonchalant demeanor took on a darker form as he started isolating himself from all other spirits and instead began demanding increasingly difficult missions from Yubaba in an attempt to stifle his loneliness. We did not understand what was going on initially. In retrospect it is clear that he was pining for you and was attempting to fill the void of your absence with missions that would take his mind off the emptiness that he was feeling.

"The first hint of the source of Haku's dramatic change became evident when his short hair started growing longer and his height began increasing inch by inch with the passing years. Yubaba finally made a connection between his aging and the speed at which time was passing in your world. Haku's maturing appearance directly matched your own. It appeared that he was synchronizing with your actual age without even realizing that he was doing so."

"But why would he do that?" Chihiro asked sounding confused.

"It most likely has to do with your powerful connection to each other. Suffice it to say that when you left Haku was out of sorts and his inner core was extremely vulnerable to attacks." Zaniba explained.

"Inner core?" Chihiro questioned, not familiar with the term. Looking thoughtfully over at the young human woman sitting not far from her, Zaniba placed a hand over her heart.

"It's one's essence - soul if you will. It is the part of us that makes us who we are and is also the source of our power. Haku's inner core had already started connecting with yours. When you left it tore holes in his essence, holes he has been trying hard to ignore. That is one of the reasons it is not wise to bond with humans - they never stay."

"I had no idea that by going home I was hurting Haku!" Chihiro exclaimed.

"If you had known would you have stayed?" Zaniba questioned with an arched brow.

"I was a little girl, I belonged with my parents, my family, I would never have been able to simply abandon them and stay here with Haku!"

Zaniba nodded. "I know that, and so did he, which is why Haku never said anything to you. He didn't want to burden you with the knowledge, nor make you feel guilty about your choice." Zaniba's lips pressed together in a thin line.

"That fool Kamaji, did he not see what he was doing, pushing the two of you even closer together and encouraging a bond that had no hope of surviving?" Zaniba's voice cracked a little as she dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief.

"Zaniba, what has happened to Haku?" Chihiro asked fearfully, feeling a finger of trepidation trail slowly down her back. Zaniba had always been the calm comforting one, to see her reacting so emotionally was more than unsettling - it carried with it a warning that something was dreadfully wrong.

"It would be better if I show you child." Standing up the sorceress walked over to the centre of the room and with a wave of her hand produced a pulsing silver orb of energy that hung suspended in midair.

"What's that?" Chihiro asked as she stood up and joined Zaniba in front of the floating sphere.

"I call it the orb of sight. Through it I can see what my familiar sees." Zaniba replied as she motioned Chihiro closer.

"You mean that you can show me what happened?" Mesmerized by the shimmering energy swirling before her, the young woman asked her question in a slightly dazed voice.

"In a manner of speaking. I can only show you the remaining echoes. They are fragmented and often hazy, not to mention that the echo of an event is devoid of sound. However, it will give you a fairly good idea of what happened." Zaniba explained as she touched it once with a large ringed finger. A shimmer of energy rippled over the orb from the point of contact and then the orb itself started pulsing with a golden light, oddly reminiscent of a beating heart. In the wake of the ripples an image slowly began to take shape. Zaniba continued talking while motioning Chihiro closer.

"You see, several weeks ago a dark mass of energy got into the bathhouse and started wreaking havoc on everything within its reach. Yubaba stepped in and attempted to put an end to its destruction. However, there was an unforeseen complication."

The familiar entrance to the bathhouse came into view, followed shortly by a large, blue clothed figure with silver hair done up in a bun. Yubaba seemed to be hurling flames at something. A dark, writhing ball of energy evaded each blast of fire that headed its way, while shooting off parts of itself in all directions. The next moment a tall figure dressed in black intercepted one of the black bolts meant for Yubaba with an opposing blast of water. The figure moved too quickly to keep track of, especially with the blurriness of the images that were being shown by the orb of sight.

The next instant Chihiro saw the black-clad figure struck down by one of the dark bolts of energy. A split moment later Yubaba managed to get the dark writhing mass with a series of powerful fiery blasts. Upon impact it seemed to go up in smoke, leaving pieces of black flakes floating down to the ground in its place.

Suddenly the black figure got up off the ground, and then with incredible speed lashed out at Yubaba with a blast of water that nearly knocked her over. She immediately retaliated with flames - one of the blasts heading right for the Chihiro and Zaniba.

Chihiro jerked back reflexively, only to realize that the image had faded entirely. Zaniba smiled sadly at her and made a movement with her hand that caused the orb of sight to disappear.

"Zaniba what just happened? Why did that person help and then attack Yubaba? Is everyone in the bathhouse all right? Where was Haku and why didn't he help? Was he out on one of his missions?" Chihiro fired off questions faster than Zaniba could answer them. Deep down inside Chihiro felt a bundle of dread slowly spreading.

Zaniba shook her head. "I think you sense at least part of the answer... Haku was the young man who turned on Yubaba at the end of that echo fragment."

"That makes no sense! Haku is honorable, why would he turn on her when just a moment ago he was helping her?"

"Do you remember when I told you that Haku's inner core was damaged? This made him vulnerable in many ways. That mass of writhing dark energy was shooting off curses. Usually for a spirit of Haku's caliber this would not have been a problem, he would have just shaken it off. However, in his vulnerable state it took him over completely - his actions were no longer his. Haku is currently locked away somewhere inside himself, unable to fight for control of his own body."

"Can't somebody do something? Yubaba is powerful and so are you!" Chihiro pointed out desperately. Zaniba wouldn't meet her eyes.

"The curse holding him captive is too powerful for me to break. That is the reason I summoned you."

"What makes you think that I could do any better? I don't even have magic." Chihiro gestured at herself hopelessly.

"You do have power. Who was it that broke the curse on the seal that Haku had swallowed? My curse by the way, which was quite powerful I assure you. Maybe it is not pure magic that you have at your disposal, however your emotional bond with Haku, although damaged, is quite possibly the only thing powerful enough to combat the evil that is residing inside him at the moment. Are you willing to abandon him to this fate of internal slavery or will you once again stand up for those you care about?" Zaniba looked up at her in challenge.

Chihiro drew herself up. If Haku was in danger and she really was his last chance at freedom from the curse then there was really no question about it. She would do whatever she could to see this through.

"How can I get to Yubaba's bathhouse? Please tell me that there is a faster way than the one that I used last time."

Zaniba smiled and gestured for Chihiro to follow her.


	3. The Aftermath

Chapter 3: **  
The Aftermath**

Chihiro shook her head as she turned the knob of the door to Kamaji's boiler. She couldn't believe that Zaniba would suggest that Chihiro hitch a ride on Yubaba's familiar. First of all, it was a surprise to find out that it was hanging out with Zaniba; apparently they had gotten pretty close since the time when Zaniba had turned it into a fly all those years ago. The yubaba-bird had seemed a bit hesitant, that is before Zaniba shrunk Chihiro to the size of a flea. Chihiro had to bury herself into the hairstyle the yubaba-bird sported, in order to ensure that she did not fall off during the flight. It was not an experience she ever cared to repeat, however it did get her to the bathhouse much faster than the alternative.

As the door opened, Chihiro was hit with a blast of heat so strong that she had to squint her eyes at first. As her body adjusted to the increase in temperature, she was surprised to see that not only was the room a bit smaller than she remembered but so was Kamaji. The spider-like spirit was helping himself to water from the tea kettle, just like old times. Upon seeing her walk in Kamaji stopped with the kettle partway to his opened mouth and stared at her in amazement. It was only when the kettle tipped a bit and the hot water dripped onto his chin that Kamaji snapped out of his stupor.

"Ah, um, madam. May I ask how a hu- I mean, how you found your way in here?" Kamaji asked, glancing nervously behind him at the door that connected the boiler room to the rest of the bathhouse.

"It's good to see you again Kamaji," Chihiro replied smiling softly at her old friend, waiting for the recognition to kick in. After all, she had never even changed her hairstyle and she was sure that enough of her features resembled the little girl that he had met.

His eyes widened after a few moments. "Chihiro? What are you doing back, child?" His voice sounded quite worried.

"I've come to help Haku. Tell me, how is he?" Chihiro asked, moving closer to the spider-like spirit.

Kamaji scratched his head and shrugged. "He's been cursed and went on a rampage of the bathhouse trying to kill Yubaba. She finally managed to contain him, but she is not very happy at the moment."

"Do you know what she's done to Haku? Has she hurt him?" Chihiro asked, remembering Yubaba's temper. She would not be surprised if the sorceress had decided to punish him as some form of revenge for what he had done.

Kamaji looked down sadly, his mustache drooping. "I don't really know, Yubaba doesn't really share much with me. Especially since she thinks that I've grown too attached to the boy." Seeing Chihiro look at him curiously Kamaji continued.

"We've been friends for a long time. I've always wanted to see him happy, and when he re-met you all those years ago he was like a whole new person. The times you were with him were the only ones where I ever saw him smile. For once in his life he looked - complete. I have never seen him fight so hard for another person, and the things that you went through yourself in order to save him... it was clear that you cared for each other and were meant to be together. At least that's what I thought... I guess I was wrong."

Not knowing quite how to answer that, Chihiro decided to steer the conversation back to the topic at hand. "Kamaji, is it true that Haku's inner core is damaged and that that's the reason the curse was able to overtake him so easily?"

Kamaji looked up at her in surprise and then looked deep in thought.

"It is quite probable that that's the case; it would explain many things. Why exactly are you here Chihiro?"

"Zaniba brought me back thinking that I could help Haku. To be honest though, I don't really know how." Chihiro added feeling a bit lost. Kamaji smiled at her and patted her back.

"You will find a way, the two of you always do."

* * *

As Chihiro entered the bathhouse she could see some of the damage that had been done by the fight. There were scorch marks on walls, along the floor, and even several tubs and pool edges were also charred. The servant spirits were scrubbing hard at the charred parts of the tubs trying to get them cleaned as quickly as possible. The further that Chihiro made her way into the room the more heads started turning toward her, some of the working spirits grabbing their noses and muttering about the stink of humans. With the rising commotion one of the servant ladies who was scrubbing the tub nearest to Chihiro stood up and approached her.

The instant their eyes met Chihiro broke into a wide grin.

"Rin!" She called out and waved to her.

Rin's eyes widened in surprise. She smiled hesitantly at the human who stood before her.

"Chihiro? What are you doing here?" Then as if suddenly remembering where she stood, Rin glanced nervously over her shoulder at the rest of the large open chamber that served as the main floor of the bathhouse.

"Never mind, now is not a good time. Yubaba is in one of her moods and I don't know what she would do if she saw you here. You'd best hide out somewhere else until all this blows over." Rin gently started pushing Chihiro back the way she had come, her palm applying slight pressure to her back to get her moving.

Chihiro stopped moving and turned around, placing her hand on Rin's shoulder and looking earnestly into the eyes of her old friend. They were now nearly the same height, Chihiro noted in the back of her mind.  
"Rin, I came to help Haku. I can't leave until I see him."

Rin looked as if she was about to argue when there was a sudden loud impact that sounded from the centre of the bathhouse. Chihiro looked behind Rin, already knowing what she would find. Meanwhile, Rin went stiff under her hand and turned around slowly as if dreading what she would find.

There stood Yubaba in the same blue dress as always, her hair slightly out of place and a little singed. Spotting Chihiro at the exact same time, Yubaba started steaming - literally. Little bits of steam were escaping from her body and magnifying the extent of her ire. The two seconds that it took Yubaba's face to reach an extremely unhealthy shade of red were all she needed to shoot forward and tower over Chihiro. Yubaba was probably the only one here so far who actually seemed just as large currently as in her memories.

"I thought I finally got rid of you, girl!" Her voice boomed throughout the entire bathhouse, nearly deafening Chihiro and even reverberating off the walls.

"Hello Yubaba." Chihiro said politely, remembering to bow respectfully. It paid to be polite, especially if it got Yubaba to calm down.

"I came to see Haku; I want to try and help him." Chihiro tried to keep the urgency from her voice, in case Yubaba decided to stretch this meeting out as long as possible, just out of sheer spite.

"See him?" Yubaba's voice was filled with incredulity as she waved her arm at the bathhouse.

"Have you seen what the brat has done to the place? I should have blown him to pieces right then and there! I must be getting senile in my old age!" Yubaba raged.

"Aren't you immortal?" Chihiro pointed out.

"That's beside the point!" The sorceress spat out stomping her foot and creating cracks in the ground from the impact.

"Can I see him?" Chihiro asked, worried that Yubaba would be going on another rant in a minute.

The question caught Yubaba by surprise and she paused to glance at the young woman before her.

"Why would you want to do something as suicidal as that?"

"Haku needs me, and from what I have learned it seems that my leaving all those years ago is partially responsible for what has happened to him. I want to help him, as I know he would want to help me if the situation were reversed. We're friends." Chihiro added that last part since Yubaba still observed her with a fair amount of disbelief. Finally Yubaba shrugged.

"If you want to, go ahead. No skin off my back if he kills you. I might finally get some peace and quiet around here."

Yubaba signaled for one of the frog servants to approach them.

"Take her to the dungeons to see the brat." The frog looked like it wanted to argue, not so much for Chihiro's sake but more for his own from the lump he tried to swallow around nervously.

Reluctantly taking a ring of keys from Yubaba the frog indicated that Chihiro was to follow him.

Turning around to thank Yubaba for her help Chihiro was not all that surprised to see the sorceress already halfway across the chamber berating one of the servant spirits about the state of the tub that she was cleaning.

Feeling a hand on her shoulder Chihiro glanced at Rin. Offering Chihiro a smile of encouragement Rin pulled her into a hug.

"Good luck." Chihiro heard her whisper, and then Rin turned around and walked back to help with the cleaning.

A throat being cleared caught her attention and made her turn back to her frog guide.

"Lead the way." Chihiro found herself saying, sounding a lot more confident than she actually felt.


	4. The Green Chamber

Chapter 4:

 **The Green Chamber**

They had traveled down into the depths of the bathhouse. All the walls were made of cold gray stone and the only light that they had to see by was the torch that the frog servant had taken from a wall a few minutes back.

They had just stopped in front of a large metal gate that the frog was now unlocking. Once inside Chihiro could see cells lining the narrow hallway. _Yubaba really does have her own dungeons... who would have thought?_

They finally stopped in front of a cell near the very end. Gripping the bars Chihiro peered in, trying to make out Haku's form. What she saw instead was a huge white and green dragon filling nearly the entire cell, despite the fact that this particular cell was actually rather large. Chihiro could see that parts of the dragon were chained to the wall. She noticed his large nostrils flare a second before he started thrashing around. His long tail whipped into the wall while his long neck stretched and strained toward the cell door where she stood. Haku's dragon form had definitely gotten much larger. If he hadn't been chained down he would have been towering over the two of them. A split second later the dragon opened it's enormous mouth full of countless dagger-like teeth and let out a roar that shook the entire dungeon. Chihiro had clamped her hands to her ears to keep herself from being deafened. They were still ringing when she removed her hands and stared at powerful full-grown dragon that was whipping its neck back and forth in an attempt to tear the chains holding him captive out of the wall. Chihiro would not admit it to anyone, but she felt a bit relieved when the chains held.

Swallowing, Chihiro pried her fingers from their death-grip on the bars and mustered up her courage.

"Let me in to see him," she whispered to the frog without looking away from the thrashing dragon before her.

"What? You can't be serious! Do you see that dragon? If I let you in, there will be nothing left of you." The frog sputtered, his disbelief clear in every word.

"Yubaba wouldn't care if he killed me, you heard her yourself. Now open the cell and let me in." Chihiro pulled her eyes away from the dragon for a second and glanced down at the frog, trying to put all her determination behind that one order.

The frog looked at her dubiously, then with a shrug pulled out the key, opened the cell door and stepped back.

"Thank you." She said as she stepped inside.

"Don't thank me - I just set you up as dragon bait..." The frog replied sounding disgruntled.

Chihiro was no longer listening; the dragon before her commanded all of her attention. She stared up at the creature, following it's long white neck all the way to it's enormous razor-filled mouth.

"Haku, can you hear me?" She asked, slowly approaching and raising one hand up toward him to show that she meant him no harm.

The dragon made a lunge for her, its jaw snapping shut just before her face. The chains holding it back were pulled taut as it strained against them.

Raising a shaking hand Chihiro managed to touch the bridge of its snout before she yanked her hand back to avoid getting bitten.

"What am I supposed to do? How do I bring you back to yourself when you won't even let me touch you?" Chihiro demanded, frustration warring with her terror.

The dragon let out a roar stunning her with it's sheer volume. Deafened and disoriented she was unable to react quickly enough when it's tail whipped out and knocked her feet out from under her. Chihiro managed to roll out of the way of it's massive jaws as they snapped down at where she had lain just a moment ago. Without thought she made a wild grab for one of his long whip-like whisker things and held on tight.

The next roar was most definitely one of pain as the dragon attempted to pull away and as a result had an entire human woman dangling off a very sensitive appendage. To relieve the pain the dragon immediately brought its head back down to the floor and tried to shake Chihiro off, jaws snapping at her, but desisting when she gave the whip like appendage a firm yank.

"Stop it Haku! I don't want to hurt you, but you have to stop being a jerk! There is no way that I'll l let you take a chunk out of me." Chihiro shouted at him as he tried to reach her with his jaws again. Seeing him begin to open his mouth for another roar Chihiro let go of the whip-whisker and jumped at him, wrapping her arms around his massive jaws and effectively keeping them shut. This of course put her face right next to his, with her forehead pressed to his and her eyes staring straight into his large green ones. To say that the dragon was shocked was putting it mildly. However, the more surprising thing was how it seemed to calm down a bit as she pressed her forehead to his.

"I know, nostalgic right? I never thought I would get another chance to do this... Although this is probably not the most opportune moment, you know?" Chihiro said sadly feeling tears trailing down her face. Opening her eyes she found herself staring into those green eyes, so similar to the ones belonging to his human form. She found herself almost mesmerized by those eyes, no longer really feeling anything except warmth and a slight twinge of hope. Something was wrong, but she was not exactly sure what or why.

The next thing Chihiro saw was a green floor that she lay on. She slowly got up and saw that she was in what looked like some kind of emerald room. The walls and ceiling were the same shade of green as the floor, and seemed to shine with an inner glow. Sensing movement at her back Chihiro turned around and was met with a familiar face. There stood Haku, the same as she remembered all those years ago, except that now he was shorter than her. His short hair, green eyes, and the blue and white garments that he always wore, all of it was the same - but not. Something was wrong, but Chihiro couldn't put her finger on what it was.

"Haku, I'm so glad to see that you're all right! Come on, let's get out of here." As Chihiro approached him and went to take his hand, she was hit with a blast of water that knocked her off her feet and slid her into the wall of green stone behind her.

"Haku?" Chihiro asked uncertainly as the teenage boy approached her without hesitation, raising his arm for another water attack.

"Crap!" Chihiro dived out of the way at the last second and got quickly to her feet. She could make out a door on the other side of the room. Unfortunately, Haku was in the way of said door. She would have to somehow get around him to make her escape through it. Chihiro had never imagined that she might have to fight Haku herself. She was not strong enough to face off against his magic, even Yubaba found him to be a tough opponent.

Chihiro made a mad dash for the door only to have a spray of water cut her off. Once it landed on the floor it began to form a river from Haku to the wall. Chihiro turned around and tried to make a dash to the left, but he was faster. Once again another body of water separated her from the other part of the room. There were now two lakes on either side of her, a green wall behind her with Haku standing right before her. If she couldn't go left or right then the only way to go was straight.

Letting out a yell Chihiro sprinted toward Haku. This time as he raised both hands they began to pulse with energy. Whatever the next spell was going to be, it was probably going to cause far more damage than the two previous ones. Chihiro braced herself for pain as she neared the expressionless water spirit. At the last minute something very strange happened. The room itself began pulsing and she felt something within her begin to respond in rhythm to the pulse. As she ran, the floor beneath her feet suddenly jutted out from the ground, propelling her into the air. At the same time the energy blasted from Haku's hands and hit the spot where she had just been moments ago. She saw his eyes shoot up toward her flying figure and then she was over and past him, catapulted toward the opposite end of the room where the door stood. As she found herself falling toward the ground that same pulse in her chest made itself felt and the floor came up to meet her in the form of a strange green slide that guided her straight toward the door - which now stood open. The slide ended two feet above the ground and as Chihiro slid off it she managed to hit the ground running. Hearing a blast of water being shot her way Chihiro ran through the door and slammed it behind her.

All sounds of pursuit were suddenly cut off. She now found herself in a dark room; not even the tip of her own nose was visible. Stretching her arms in front of her Chihiro desperately wished for a light of some kind to see by. Almost as soon as the thought entered her mind she felt a answering pulse within her, and a pale green glow from an unidentified source faintly illuminated the room. There was something here with her.

Chihiro could barely make out a still form in the far corner of the room. Slowly making her way toward the figure she called out hesitantly, not wanting to startle whoever or whatever it was.

"Excuse me, I don't mean to bother you but-" She cut herself off as the person came into view.

A figure dressed in black knelt on the stone floor; waist long black hair forming a curtain on either side of the bent head. The person's arms were tied behind their back and chained to the wall behind them. The figure still had not moved nor responded in any way that would indicate that it had heard her. As Chihiro got nearer she began to notice a strange kind of pearlesence around the figure. Depending on where she stood, the pearl-like sheen would change slightly and the shape that it formed around the figure was very similar to... a bubble!

This person was somehow trapped in one of Haku's bubbles. From what she could remember, those inside it could not hear or see what was going on outside of it. Chihiro tried popping the bubble with her finger. There was some give, but it felt like a balloon rather than a regular soap bubble.

Strange things had been happening since she entered this green stone place, perhaps she could somehow get whatever-it-was to help her with this bubble enclosure too. Chihiro tried to concentrate on what she usually felt when things decided to go her way here. She knelt and lay her hand on the bubble and thought of a regular soap bubble and how much easier it would be to deal with it than this strange pseudo-bubble. She felt the whole room had suddenly begun pulsing. The floor shifted beneath her knees and the next thing she knew she was falling forward, straight into the figure kneeling before her. The bubble she had placed her hand on was on longer there. Instead her hand rested on the figure's black-clad chest - definitely a man. The person shifted under her hand and slowly the head rose up.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-" Once again Chihiro broke off, but this time it was because she found herself at a lack of words. The person before her couldn't see her because his eyes were blindfolded. All she could see were pale cracked lips, and a skin devoid of colour.  
Chihiro could feel herself getting angry on behalf this person who had been so badly mistreated.

"Give me a second and I'll get that off of you." Reaching around his head Chihiro managed to finally untie the blindfold and gently remove it from his face. His eyes were still closed, almost as if he was hesitant to open them even in the meager light that lit this room. Slowly, squinting a bit, his eyes started to open.

Chihiro's breath caught. Emerald green eyes, familiar eyebrows, and a face that although more mature, still was heartbreakingly familiar.

"Haku?" Chihiro's voice broke on that one word and she could feel her eyes fill with tears. Those striking green eyes widened in surprise and disbelief.

"Chihiro?" Haku's voice sounded gravelly from disuse, as well as much deeper than what she remembered.

Unable to choke out any words she nodded and ran a hand gently over the side of his face. He sighed and leaned his forehead against hers. How she had missed this. Everything felt good and right with the world again. For some reason just being together made her feel warm and comforted. Everything else seemed like a minor inconvenience. Who would have thought that being next to someone could feel so much like being well and truly home?

"Chihiro, if it's not too much trouble would you please be able to free my arms? I want to hold you properly." Haku whispered, his forehead still pressed against hers and his breath tickling her face.

"I'm so sorry, this will just take a second." Chihiro scooted over to where his arms were bound. This time she did not ask for help from the room, she demanded it. Surprisingly the ropes came apart easily in her hands, and the chains fell off his wrists the instant she touched them.

Haku rolled his shoulders twice and then he turned around and enveloped her in a big hug, his long hair tickling the sides of her face.

"Thank you, Chihiro." Haku turned his face into her neck and took a deep breath.

"I still can't believe that you're really here." He added, his voice sounding both relieved and content.

"You're welcome, although I am not really sure how I managed to free you. It's almost as if the room wanted you free."

"Mmm. The room is connected to me as well as you. You are the only one besides me who has any control over it." He breathed out, almost sounding like he was about to fall asleep.

"Haku, wake up! We need to get out of here and I need your help." Chihiro tried to shake him awake but only got a sleepy murmur in response.

"Haku, there's a crazy mini-Haku out there and -"

The door broke off its hinges as the other Haku stormed into the room. Chihiro looked up at him from where she knelt with half-concious older Haku, who only snuggled more comfortably into her shoulder.

"Speak of the devil." She muttered and started shaking the prone body weighing her down. "Haku!" Chihiro yelled directly into his ear. Haku shifted his ear away from her and winced painfully.

Teenage-Haku took that moment to shoot a powerful blue beam their way, but just as it was about to hit them Chihiro felt the older Haku stand up in a fluid motion, grab her around the waist and stand her behind him as he threw up his other hand and produced a wall of ice in the path of blast.

Trying to peek around him, Chihiro could see the ice holding. The instant that teenage-Haku tried to move to get a better angle, older-Haku dispelled his ice wall and blasted teenage-Haku into the opposite wall. Then he stalked forward, raised both hands and brought them down with force. A column of water poured from the ceiling directly onto teenage-Haku, the force of which practically flattened him to the ground and made it impossible for him to get up. Then, older-Haku did something with his other hand that cause the water to suddenly freeze. Teenage-Haku was left staring at the two of them, unable to move.

Chihiro's Haku walked over to the teenage version of himself, with Chihiro following closely behind. He lowered one knee to the ground and looked teenage-Haku in the eye.

"There is nothing holding you here. I am taking back control of myself and my life. Begone!" With that Haku hit the ice column which shattered into little fragments. To Chihiro's great relief the other Haku body was nowhere to be seen, it had simply disappeared. Despite the fact that the other Haku had been trying to kill her, she didn't think she could handle seeing her childhood friend's body lying somewhere as a corpse.

Haku turned toward her with a gentle smile on his face and held out his hand.

"I think it's about time we leave this place. I feel that I've been here much longer than is entire healthy." Haku said as he took hold of her hand.

"What is this place?" She questioned, only now giving thought to what this green place might have been.

"It's my inner core, my subconscious, soul... take your pick. You've just seen a part of me that others never will." He smiled a bit teasingly and then everything faded.

Chihiro woke up on the floor of the dungeon with Haku's prone form lying on top of her, and his head comfortably resting on her chest. She could feel her face turning red in embarrassment. She had never really been very close to any guys before, and this older Haku was most definitely a man, despite the fact that he occasionally became a dragon in his spare time.

Chihiro tried to shove his shoulders and head off of her, but it he had become a dead weight and was impossible to budge.

"Haku, wake up. We need to get up." She whispered, not wanting anyone else to see them like this.

Haku moved slightly, then burrowed his face back into his 'pillow'.

"No thank you." He muttered, and stayed where he was.

"You stupid dragon, get off me right now. This is not a suggestion, I'm serious." Chihiro ground out, mustering her strength to shove him off once more.

Suddenly Haku shifted a bit and placed his head on his arms, looking up at her intently. Chihiro felt she was going cross-eyed trying to look down at him, yet she still tried to give him her most severe glare. It didn't seem to have much effect.

"I don't know if I want to get up yet... What will you do when I free you? Will you simply return to your world once again?" He questioned, trying to look as if the answer didn't really hold all that much importance.

Chihiro sighed, seeing where this was going.

"I'm not going to leave you again Haku. I promise." She replied and ran her fingers through his long hair comfortingly, marveling at how soft it was.

"Hmm, I think you won't blame me if I say that I find that hard to believe. It's where your family is, where your current friends are. What would your reason be for staying, besides pity?" His eyes clouded over as he thought about what he had just said.

"Haku, look at me. My parents are living in the human world, yes, but I have not been home in a long time now. I have lived abroad in a different country for the past four years. I meet up with my parents once a week on skype and update them on my life; once a year I also visit them for Christmas. However, my life is my own now and what I choose to do with it is up to me. They will not miss me more than before if I continue to stay in contact with them. That is the way that the world works these days. Children rarely stay with their parents once they grow up. As for friends, I have been making new friends all my life. I am sure to make new friends here as well.

"As you said, time travels differently here, I am sure that a week here is barely noticeable in my world. If you would be able to help me visit my world at regular intervals, so that I could keep in contact with my family, then it would be no different than living and working abroad.

Chihiro smiled down at his hopeful face, and smoothed his hair back back to better be able to see those expressive green eyes.

"As for pity? I do not pity you. You are one of the strongest spirits I know. You have been my protector and friend for as long as I can remember. Leaving you behind all those years ago was one of the most difficult things I have ever done. There were times when I wondered what it would have been like if I had stayed here with you. Now I don't have to wonder, I can have everything I ever wanted. This is a possibility I never let myself even imagine. It would be more of a dream come true than anything else. Don't you know how much I care about you? Who else have I risked my life for, other than my parents, silly?"

Haku's eyes bore into Chihiro's for several seconds, searching her emotions. He saw something there that awed him and made him feel the first real joy in his life. Then something strange happened, he felt something wet moving down his face. He touched it with his hand and stared down at the water on his fingers. He glanced up at Chihiro in shock.

"Chihiro, something is wrong! Why am I crying?" His slightly panicked voice got her attention.

Chihiro sat up and Haku moved away a bit wearily, still dabbing at his face in confusion.

"Come here, my silly dragon." She held out her arms to him and after a slight pause Haku shuffled over and hugged her.

"I'm going to guess and say that it's because you are happy. People cry when they are happy too."

"But I'm not a person!" Haku protested while at the same time snuggling his face into her neck.

Chihiro laughed a bit at the tickling sensation.

"All right, let me rephrase that. Beings often cry when they are happy as well as sad." She ran her hand comfortingly over his back. "You're living proof of it after all." She added fondly.

Haku pulled back and looked into her eyes; There was some kind of deeper emotion shimmering just above the surface that she just couldn't decipher. His hand came up slowly and cupped her cheek.

"You are the most important person to me and have been for a long, long time. If you were to stay with me I would be the happiest being in existence and... Chihiro... Can I kiss you?"

The last part was said hesitantly, and he glanced down as he asked, so he missed her blush as well as her answering nod.

Chihiro sighed and shook her head.

"Come here," She pulled him toward her and kissed his forehead.

The dismay in his eyes was heartbreaking.

"I meant..." He was interrupted by the sudden kiss he received, which made it impossible to continue his line of thought, let alone a conversation. Unsurprisingly he was not bothered by that in the slightest. He put his attention to good use and reciprocated, adding some emotions of his own behind the kiss. After all, actions spoke louder than words, and he was clearly not very good at the latter at the moment.

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 **Rampant Id:**

And that's a wrap. Hope you guys liked reading this as much as I did writing it. Share your thoughts and feelings in a review. I love to hear what my readers think about my stories.


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